Police honor the fallen

SAN ANGELO, Texas - Velma Ogan dabbed a tear from her eye as the sanctuary was quiet but for the sound of taps ringing from the balcony. Her husband, Sgt. Richard Ogan with the San Angelo Police Department, sat beside her with his head down in contemplation.

“It’s hard to hear about those who lost their lives for other people,” Velma Ogan said.

The couple was among dozens who attended the ecumenical service late Friday morning. The hour-long service marked the conclusion of local events for National Police Week and was attended by law enforcement representatives including those from the San Angelo Police Department, the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office, the Fire Marshal’s Office, the U.S. Homeland Security local office and the military.

Images of law enforcement officers around Texas who had fallen in 2013 flashed above the screen as a voice over told their stories. Some were killed by gunfire, some in crashes while making traffic stops — almost all were husbands and fathers.

“It’s a little harder for me than for a lot of these guys,” said Officer Steven Quade, hit-and-run investigator for the SAPD. “It was very emotional because a lot of the guys up there I was at their funeral.”

Quade attended the funerals of four of the 13 officers and deputies remembered at the service and knew one of them personally. Clay Crabb — who served four years at the SAPD and died while serving at the Austin Police Department — was a friend of Quade’s.

Even in the 25 years he has been serving at the SAPD, Quade said, he has had a couple of close calls himself.

“You do it for the love for the job,” Quade said. “We love what we do, even knowing what could happen.”